A Young Adult’s Perspective on the Pandemic Blues
A guest blog by Nina Siprashvili, Tamriko’s 21 year old daughter.
During times of anxiety and uncertainty, music is one of the best ways to deal with the fallout.
Dealing with the Pandemic Blues
We went into a pandemic in March of 2020. If, like me, you don't like to spend all your time indoors and you've been unable to see your friends, get your favorite foods, get some boba down the street, or even go to school (who knew we'd miss the days of hearing the school bell?) then you're also feeling the effects of this pandemic to a degree. And, if you're like me, you've been wondering what will help these feelings of hopelessness, loneliness, and maybe even a little despair. In other words, what will help with the Pandemic Blues?
The Italians and Spaniards have it right
That's the takeaway I took from reading "A Musical Cure for COVID-Related Stress and Sadness", a Wall Street Journal article written by psychologist Susan Pinker. While sheltering in place, many Italians and Spaniards went outside and joined in harmony from their balconies. While adhering to social distancing rules, they sang together, played instruments, and found peace and unity in an otherwise tumultuous and isolating time.
Why this works
While singing with strangers may not have been peoples' ideal form of passing time a couple years ago, 2020 brought out that annoyingly human part of everyone that craves community. We forget, after a lifetime of being able to see our friends every day in school or going on date night with a significant other, how much we really crave human contact and intimacy. 2020 brought that desire out in an, admittedly, extreme way.
A recent study by Pablo Ripolles and Michael McPhee of NYU in collaboration with Robert Zatorre Ph.D of McGill University was done involving 1,000 participants from Latin America, America, and Europe, to see what the most effective coping mechanism was during our stay-at-home order.
These researchers looked to find what activity helps us to deal with this unprecedented time. Options were given to participants that ranged from exercise, social media, cooking, calling, and others.
Music decreases the symptoms of sadness and depression
Overwhelmingly, the study found that music and exercise were among the top anxiety and stress relievers. Cooking and baking were also found to help with the blues. Between music and exercise, music was found to actually decrease the symptoms of sadness and depression instead of only aiding in keeping it level.
Music is the driving force of feeling happy
In fact, 20% of the study participants reported that music - listening to it or creating it- was the most effective way to reduce those sad feelings that so many of us are feeling.
We've known for a long time that music affects the brain in lasting and peaceful ways. From helping us study to releasing dopamine (the happy chemical), music continues to help us get through any problem that we face.
How to deal with the Pandemic Blues? Learn to bake banana bread (don't forget the chocolate chips), get some exercise, and learn a new instrument to turn your inner feelings into outer lyricism.
Many thanks to our guest blogger, Nina Siprashvili, who studies Chemical Engineering at UCSD. She studied voice for seven years with Sarah Franklin, a former teacher at Inspire Music Academy.